Improvement in windmills



3 Sheets-Sheet 1. H. L. MAY. kWind-Mill.

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3 Sheets-Sheet 2. H. L. MAY. Wind-M111. No. 208,254. Patented Sept. 24,|878.

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MPEYERS. PHOTO-UTHQGRAPHER. WASHINOTUN, D c.

UNITED STATES PATENT GEEIcE..A

HARVEY L. MAY, OF GALESBURG, ILLINOIS.

IMPROVEMENTIN WINDMILLS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 208,254, datedSeptember 24, 1878; application filed March 29, 1878.

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, HARVEY L. MAY, of Galesburg, in the county of Knoxand State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvementsin Vindmills 5 and I do hereby declare that the following is a full,clear, and exact description thereof, which will enable others skilledin the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, referencebeing had to the accompanying drawings, and to letters of referencemarked thereon, which form a part ot' this specification, in which-Figurel l is a side elevation, partly broken away, of a windmillembodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view of theturntable and upper part of the tower. Figs. 3 and 4 are detail viewshereinafter referred to. Fig. 5 is a top-plan view. Fig. 6 is anelevation of the rear side of the wind-wheel. Fi g. 7 is a perspectiveview of the vane and adjacent parts. Fig. 8 is a detail perspective Viewof the lower part of the connecting-rod. Fig. 9 is a vertical sectionalview of Fig. 8. Fig. l() is a sectional view ofthe upper part oftheconnecting-rod. Fig. l1 is a sectional view in the line y yin Fig. l0,seen from below. l

My invention relates to improvements in that class of windmills in whichthe sail-wheel rotates a horizontal shaft, which is mounted on avertical axis, to which the vane is hinged in such manner that the wheelis deflected and turned edge to 7 by strong blasts of wind, while thevane holds the parts in position by remaining in the wind 5 and theinvention consists, iirst, in the use of a suspended4 pulley, incombination with the weighted cord or chain which returns the wheel toits normal position after each deection by an increase of wind; second,in the use of a yielding springarm, against which the vane strikes whenthe wheel is deflected by an increase of wind; third, in improvementsrelating to the union of the coupling-rod to the pump; fourth, inimprovements in the bearings of the wheelshaft in the connecting-rod.

Referrin g to the drawing by letters, A A represent two bars, divergin gat their upper ends, and their lower ends converging, and secured toeach other by bands a a., and together forming the upper part of thetower, their lower ends being secured in any desired manner in the upperends of bracing-posts B.

C C are metal plates, secured one to each bar A, connected at theirlower ends by a crosspiece, D, and at their upper ends by a ring'-shaped plate, E, which has au annular Iiange, e, extending upward aroundits outer edge.

F is a ring-shaped plate, with short studs j', on each of which is]'ournaled a small wheel, j", the diameter of which is such that thewheels j extend over the inner and outer sides of the ring F, (see Fig.4,) so that when the ring F is seated loosely over the plate E theouterl sides of the wheelsf will rest against the iiange e. (See Figs. 2and 3.)

G is a conical tubular shaft, which constitutes the rotating part of theturn-table, its lower end stepped in an annular bearinggroove, d, in thebar D, as shown at- Fig. 2, which bearing-groove will receive and retainoil, and its upper end and sides bear against the inner sides of thewheels f', which wheels j" turn 011 their axes as the shaft G rotates,and are revolved in a path around the ringtrack E, their outer sidesrolling against the inner side of the ilange c, and thus with minimumfriction holding the shaft G in a vertical position, while its weightland the weight of attached parts rest in the bearin g d.

The shaft G is secured against vertical displacement by means of aguard, H, which is bolted to the inner side of one of the plates C, andrests above an annular ledge, h, on the exterior of the shaft G.

I is an annular iiange on the upper end of the shaft G, which serves tocover and protect the wheels j", and from whichy projects upwardly anordinary standard and bearing I', in which is journaled the wheel-shaftJ, on the outer end of which is xed the wind-wheel K, which is dished,as shown by the sectional view thereof at Fig. 1, and hangs close at itslower side to the contracted part of the bars A, thus bringing the wheelclose to the vertical axis on which it rotates by a simple constructionof the tower-top, as hereinbefore described.

The wheel K has ordinary bands k, to which the sails are attached, andwhich are attached themselves to the radial arms k. The bands k are madein sections, united at each radial arm 7s by a stirrup, 7a, and a brace,k', which brace is bolted at each end to the band k, and at its centralpart to a radial arm, la', as shown at Fig. 6.

J" is the ordinary crank-wheel on the shaft J, from which aconnecting-rod, L, extends downward to connect with a pump-rod. Thebearing in the connecting-rod L on the crankpin of wheel J is shown atFig. l0, and consists of an upper bearing-block or half-box, M, with anoil-cup, m, secured between the forked ends of the rod L by a bolt, m',the lower halfbox M being tapering, and having a transverse slot, m",through which a bolt, m", passes, by means of which it may be adjustedto compensate for wear in the evident manner. Mid-length the rod L isbifurcated, and a hemispherical cavity formed on each branch, betweenwhich cavities a spherical ball, l', is received, which ball l iscarried on the upper end of a half-round iron rod, L', which constitutesthe middle portion ofthe rod L. The ball Z' has a hole, l, through whichthe furling-cord n passes, as shown at Fig. ll. The rod L being to oneside of the ball l', as shown at same figure, permits the cord a passingthrough near the center of the ball l. The lower end ofthe rod L isattached to a rod, L", the lower end of which is bifurcated, and to eachbranch is bolted a plate, O, having a hemispherical cavity, o, in itslower end. P P are two plates, with a hemisphere, p, on the upper end ofeach, and a bend, p', such that when the plates P are bolted together attheir lower ends the bends p will form a slot, which receives and issecured permanently to the upper end of an ordinary pump-rod. Thehemispheres p brought together form a sphere, p, which is receivedbetween the hemispherical cavities o. The sphere p is held by slidingthe loop p" downward on the rod L, and when it is desired to disconnectthe windmill from an attached pump it may be readily and easily done bysliding the loop 11 upward, as shown at Fig. 9, when the rod L" may bereleased from the plates P.

Q is the vane, hinged to standards q on the upper end of the shaft Gr. Ris an arm proiecting from the upper end of the shaft Gr, stayed by abrace, r, and has a pulley, S, which is preferably weighted,'hun g onits outer end by a swiveled rod, s, which permits the pulley to swing orvibrate to a horizontal position. T is a cord which passes over thepulley S, and has a weight, t, at one end, and is attached at its otherend to the side of the vane Q. U is an arm, made of material whichallows it to yield or spring back, as shown at Fig. 5, and is mounted onthe upper end of the shaft G in the ordinary manner, so that when thewheel K is deflected by a blast of wind the vane Q will strike the blocku on the outer end of the arm U and hold the wheel K edge to the wind.The spring in the arm U is intended to relieve the shock when the vaneand arm arethus brought forcibly together. The force of their approachis also diminished by the action of the pendent pul ley S, the cord Tbeing made of such length that the weight t, or some other stop providedon said cord, will reach the pulley S a short time before the vane Qreaches the arm U, and the increased resistance then offered by drawingthe pulley and cord out of their vertical positions, as shown at Fig. 5,will tend to diminish the velocity of the approach ing vane Q and arm U,and thus diminish the force of theirl contact.

The furling-rod a passes upward through the ball l', as alreadydescribed, and over a pulley, V, above the shaft G, and thence over apulley, W, on the arm U to the vane Q, its lower end being carrieddownward to where it may be taken hold of', and drawn in the ordinarymanner to deflect the wheel K, or to lock it out of the wind, 7 whendesired.

That I claim as new is- 1. In a windmill, a conical tubular shaft, G,stepped in an annular groove in a transverse bearing-block, d, at itslower end, and against the wheels f at its upper end, substantially asdescribed, and for the purpose specified.

2. In a windmill, a suspended vibrating pulley, S, arranged to operatewith a weighted cord, T, arm It, vane Q, and wheel K, so as to offer anincreasing resistance as the wheel is deiiected by the wind,substantially as and for the purpose specified.

3. The yielding spring-arm U, arranged to operate with the vane Q andwheel K, as and for the purpose specified.

4. The plates P P, removably attached to the rod L by means of thesliding loop or bridle-bar p, arranged to operate with the bifurcatedends of the rod L and the plates P, substantially as and for the purposespecifled.

5. The sliding slotted box M and bolt ml, arranged to operate with theforked rod L, box M, and crank-wheel pin, substantially as and for thepurpose specified.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I affix my signaturein presence of two witnesses.

HARVEY L. MAY. llf'itnesses:

lll. H. BARRINGER, THOMAS MCKEE.

